Behavioral Nudges

A global social fintech enterprise enabling people in coastal communities to collect ocean-bound plastic waste and exchange it for money, school tuition, medical insurance, and essential services. Collected plastic becomes 'Social Plastic®' feedstock for manufacturing, creating a circular economy.

A national behavior change initiative using financial incentives to increase household waste sorting. The program decreased residual waste container sizes and offered lower collection fees for properly sorted waste, resulting in significant increases in recycling participation.

A global partnership integrating behavioral science into plastic waste management, moving beyond traditional information campaigns to use emotional appeals, social influences, and choice architecture. Implemented through the GEF Small Grants Programme's Plastics Innovation Programme supporting 54 community-based projects.

A study by the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs explores a practical and cost-effective method to track adherence to micronutrient supplements among pregnant women in rural Ethiopia. This approach aims to improve maternal and child health outcomes by addressing micronutrient deficiencies and ensuring program effectiveness.

The BEST (Behavioral Economic Incentives to Support HIV Treatment Adherence) study in Uganda tests lottery-based incentives to overcome "present bias"—the tendency to prioritize immediate costs over long-term health benefits. Unlike costly traditional incentives ($1000+), behavioral economics-informed small, frequent prizes leverage probability overweighting. The study compares incentives tied to clinic visits/viral suppression versus electronically measured daily adherence, addressing why only ~60% of people with HIV take medications as prescribed.

ideas42 is a non-profit that applies behavioral science to design scalable health solutions. Their portfolio includes a 10% increase in NYC flu vaccinations through appointment prompts, 33% increase in emergency room opioid use disorder treatments, and 78% increase in medication adherence for Medicaid cardiac patients. They use behavioral economics insights—present bias, loss aversion, commitment devices—to redesign health interventions in both the U.S. and low-income countries, with a focus on women and children under 5.

The Busara Center for Behavioral Economics in Nairobi is the largest behavioral science organization focused on the Global South. Operating the world's largest behavioral science lab (133,000+ participants across Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Nigeria, India), Busara designs and tests interventions addressing poverty, health, agriculture, and education. They emphasize that "biases are local"—behavioral insights must be adapted to specific cultural contexts rather than imported from Western research.

The Penn Medicine Nudge Unit, established in 2016, is the world's first behavioral design team embedded within a health system. By changing default options in electronic health records (EHRs), the unit increased generic prescribing from 75.4% to 98.4% (saving millions), reduced opioid prescriptions by 22.8% in emergency departments, and decreased unnecessary daily imaging in palliative care. The approach focuses on making the "right choice the easy choice" for both clinicians and patients.

Cool the Earth is a K-8 climate education program that has reached over 500,000 students and families across the United States. Using a child-driven model with classroom performances, coupon books for home energy actions, and family challenges, the program motivates 300,000+ personal energy-saving actions and builds climate literacy from an early age.

Povu Poa ("Cool Foam" in Kiswahili) is a water-efficient, soap-frugal handwashing system developed by Innovations for Poverty Action and Catapult Design for areas without reliable piped water. The system costs just $0.10 per 100 handwashes (vs $0.45 for conventional stations) and features a hygienic swing tap operable with the back of the hand. In schools, soap availability increased from <1% to >50%, and handwashing with soap rose from 0% to 32%. In clinics, handwashing jumped from 0% to 76.5%.

The Smarter Lunchrooms Movement uses choice architecture to nudge students toward healthier food choices through low-cost or no-cost environmental changes in school cafeterias. Developed by Cornell's Center for Behavioral Economics in Child Nutrition Programs, the approach includes placing fruit in attractive bowls (increasing sales 100%+), repositioning salad bars to high-traffic areas (200-300% increase), using creative vegetable names, and making white milk the "featured" choice. Over 29,000 U.S. schools have implemented these nudges.

SuperAmma was a cluster-randomized trial in rural Andhra Pradesh, India that used emotional drivers—particularly maternal nurturing instincts—rather than health knowledge to promote handwashing with soap. The campaign featured an animated mother character "SuperAmma" and used community events, school skits, animated films, and public pledging ceremonies. Observed handwashing rates increased from 1% to 37% in intervention villages.